One Taste and You'll be Mine
by Pallet and Cerulean
Summary: Maki gets Rin to help her brew a love potion.


In the potions classroom after school, Rin laid her book out on the desk in front of her. Flipping through the pages, she eventually settled on the one she was looking for, Amortentia printed in large, neat letters across the top. Quickly scanning down the page, Rin took note of the ingredients she would need before turning to the Ravenclaw standing next to her.

"Alright, Maki, prepare to learn from the best," Rin said excitedly before hurrying across the room to hunt down the necessary supplies.

"I still can't believe you're getting a better grade in potions than I am," Maki sighed, watching Rin pull a collection of things off a shelf at the back of the room.

Maki was at the top of nearly all of her classes, but potions and divination had always given her trouble. So, Rin was overjoyed that the studious red head had actually come to her for help when it came to making a potion. Though, Maki still couldn't figure out how she had managed to convince the potions teacher to let her use the classroom and any ingredients she wanted without supervision. Then again, Rin never failed to surprise Maki with what she was able to pull off.

After dumping an arm-full of all sorts of jars and containers onto a desk, Rin readjusted her scarf, having nearly pulled the red and yellow accessory off. Turning up the jars that had fallen, Rin sorted through them, pulling out a larger one that contained a fair number of Ashwinder eggs. While Maki looked over the recipe for the potion, Rin threw one of the eggs into the small cauldron she had prepared.

"Hey, can you grind up a few of those rose thorns?" Rin asked, pointing to an old, scratched up jar.

"Huh? But the book says to use them whole," Maki pointed out, confusion furrowing her brows.

A quick laugh bubbling up past Rin's lips, she turned to grin at the other girl. "That's why I'm doing better in potions than you," Rin stated. "You can't just do what the book tells you, Maki. You just do what feels right," she explained, a sense of pride in her voice.

"What feels right is listening to the recipe," Maki muttered, still unsure.

"The thorns aren't strong enough if you don't grind them up first," Rin replied, rather matter of factly.

"Fine, fine," Maki resigned, shaking a handful of rose thorns from the jar. She did ask for Rin's help after all, so she was in no position to disagree.

Carefully, as not to prick herself, Maki dropped the thorns into a mortar and pestle. After quickly grinding them up, she added them to the cauldron. A moment later, Rin poured some sort of oil into the mixture, some minty smell Maki couldn't pin down wafting through the room. Going back to the textbook, Rin skimmed over the steps in the recipe, seeing what they had to do left.

"All we need to do is add the moonstone and crushed pearl, then it's done!" Rin exclaimed, her eyes glittering in her excitement. "I can't wait to see you give it to Nico, nya," she added with a sly smile.

Twirling her hair around her finger, Maki went to look for the moonstone she needed, trying to brush off the embarrassment. "You won't be anywhere around when she gets it," Maki assured, grumbling.

Rin pouted for a moment, watching quietly as Maki added in the final few ingredients. The red head stepped back from the cauldron, after giving it a good stir. Just a moment later, a spiral of hazy steam swirled up from the shimmering liquid. The sight was almost entrancing, combined with the wonderful scent that bloomed throughout the room.

"What does it smell like for you?" Rin asked curiously, reaching her hand out to swipe it through the curls of steam. Amortentia was an odd potion, as it smelled different to each person, depending on what they found the most attractive. It reminded Rin of campfire smoke, mixed with vanilla and freshly baked sweets.

Rolling the question over in her mind for a moment, Maki tried to pick out the individual scents. "It smells like green tea, and something dusty, like an old book, and..." Maki said, trailing off at the end. She stayed quiet, despite Rin's protesting glances.

"And?" Rin prompted, cocking her head in confusion. Her eyes quickly searched Maki's, gold eyes meeting violet ones. The red head turned to the side, her cheeks flushing a light pink.

"And Nico's shampoo," Maki admitted quietly.

"That's so cute, nya," Rin giggled, only serving to make Maki blush even deeper. "Just wait until Kayo-chin hears," she said excitedly, her smile clear in her voice.

"You're not telling Hanayo about this," Maki insisted, hurrying across the room to dodge Rin's embarrassing comments, as well as find a jar to put the potion in, at least until she could mix it into Nico's Valentine's Day chocolates.

Looking through the empty bottles and jars on the shelves, Maki picked out a small, inconspicuous bottle that likely wouldn't be missed. Heading back over to the small cauldron, Maki let a small smile pull at her lips as the enticing scent of the potion washed over her once more. Taking the ladle from the cauldron, she carefully poured the shimmering, pink-tinted liquid into the bottle.

"Be careful you don't use too much," Rin instructed, watching Maki cap off the bottle, her tone serious. "A few drops is enough for a small crush. Though, it'll probably wear off in a few days."

"That's plenty of time," Maki replied, pulling her wand from the pockets of her robe. With a quick flick of her wand, the classroom was cleaning itself up, all supplies returning to the shelves they belonged in. In just a few moments, everything was back in it's proper place, looking just as they had found it. "Now, we should go. I have chocolates to make," Maki said.

"Alright!" Rin exclaimed with a cat-like grin, pumping a fist into the air. "Can I have some when you're finished, nya?" Rin pleaded, offering Maki a sweet smile.

"No," Maki admonished, slipping the bottle of Amortentia into her pocket. "They're for Nico, and besides, you'd being taking the love potion too if you ate any of them," Maki pointed out.

"I wouldn't mind having a crush on Maki," Rin replied slyly, enjoying the deep blush that spread across Maki's cheeks, tinging the top of her ears pink. It was too easy to embarrass the serious red head, and far too much fun for Rin to pass up a chance.

"Let's go," Maki muttered, ignoring Rin's comment. Stepping out into the hallway, Maki let the door to the potions classroom click shut behind them.

The next day, Maki handed her chocolates over to Nico, twirling her hair around her finger and desperately hoping she had used the right amount of Amortentia.


End file.
